No shadow committee for Leominster schools

It is with regrettable disillusionment that I am writing this letter in response to the recent announcement by Mayor Dean Mazzarella to form what he refers to as the "School Oversight Committee."

Election season 2015 brought out some of the most destructively partisan politics that Leominster has seen in the past decade, with education taking a prominent role in the campaigns throughout Leominster. Topics over the budget, teacher contracts, and whether our school district was meeting its obligation to our students brought out strong emotions in both the voters and candidates. In the end, all the candidates wanted what was best for the students of Leominster, but some had very different visions on moving forward.

Using his role as mayor and president of the School Committee, Mayor Mazzarella publicly endorsed several candidates for both the School Committee and City Council. While the mayor was entirely within his democratic rights to support and endorse whomever he chooses, the question remains: Was this a wise choice as he serves (and likely will continue to serve) as the president of the School Committee? In the past, Mayor Mazzarella has never exerted his influence in such a provocative way into local elections in Leominster. However, as voters in Leominster went to the polls on Nov. 3, they voted for several candidates whom the mayor did not support, with the exception of Wendy Wiiks, whose ability to serve on the School Committee is currently prevented under the city charter.

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In light of this, it is unfortunate to see the mayor announce the formation of what he calls the "School Oversight Committee," only days after the election. According to the mayor, this committee will serve the purpose of overseeing the school district's finances and communicating to the people of Leominster how much money is being used for school spending. As an incoming School Committee member, I found this news very troublesome. Not a single School Committee member was consulted on this newly proposed committee by the mayor or even informed of his concerns of insufficient transparency with the public.

Additionally the question remains: Is the mayor's Oversight Committee not being tasked to the same exact job as the elected officials of the School Committee? The primary, and arguably most important, job of the School Committee is to oversee and pass an education budget for the city of Leominster, and as elected officials communicate with their constituents what is happening in our school district. The mayor could have solved this through the elected body of the School Committee by proposing a subcommittee, as School Committee Vice President Bill Comeau suggested. Rather, the mayor is using his executive power to form an entirely new committee without the consultation of either the School Committee or City Council.

The Oversight Committee proposed by the mayor will be made up of individuals directly appointed from the Mayor's Office. Furthermore, the mayor stated that he would hope to keep politics and bias out of this committee, but isn't the committee in itself based in political motives? To answer this, all we must do is look at the facts. The mayor unilaterally formed this Oversight Committee without first bringing his concerns before the School Committee, in an election year where the successes and failures of our school district were a hotly contested issue. Additionally, several candidates the mayor aggressively opposed won seats on the School Committee Tuesday night, and in response, only days later, the mayor announced his plan for a "School Oversight Committee" that will essentially serve the same purpose as the School Committee.

With these facts in mind, it becomes evident that the School Oversight Committee is nothing more than a shadow school committee whom the mayor would prefer to work with.

Mayor Mazzarella has done some great things for the city of Leominster and has truly been a voice for many who otherwise would ignore politics altogether. However, it is with this proven record that I implore the mayor to rethink the creation of this oversight committee. The mayor fears that the public has been susceptible to misinformation about our school district, and that is entirely fair, but is this not a job that should to be solved through the School Committee, a body on which you serve as president? The School Oversight Committee not only poses the threat of further confusing the public by creating two entirely different entities to represent our school district but it also poses the threat of conflicting information coming from both governmental bodies, creating additional confusion and further miscommunication between branches of government that already struggle to properly communicate.

Despite the Oversight Committee not having a direct vote, it serves as an advisory committee to both the mayor and the public. This not only deteriorates the credibility of the School Committee but also questions its legitimacy as a governing body. The School Oversight Committee presents a dangerous precedent, and I ask the people of Leominster to join me in asking Mayor Mazzarella to seek constructive solutions through one, united voice, the Leominster School Committee.

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